I have had my watches serviced here and been impressed by the service. I just dropped them off and walked down to the Regulator to poke about for a bit and then they were ready, less than an hour later! I have also had a very fragile antique ring repaired here. An Nguyen was very patient in discussing what I could expect from the repair. I appreciated his honesty and willingness to attempt the repair anyways. Additionally, I have two friends who have had engagement rings designed by An. He really takes time w each client to get to know their style and what is going to make them happy for years to come. Both of those lucky girls ended up w amazing, one of a kind diamond settings that perfectly matched them. Supporting local artists and having a piece of jewelry that you will love for a lifetime, doesn't get much better than that! read more

I've had my wedding ring repaired here. An had it fixed in less than 20 min, all shiny and everything. He even cleaned my engagement ring for me too! While we waited, I loved daydreaming about some of the other pieces in the shop. I was eyeing a particularly gorgeous ring that would be a perfect anniversary present. **hint hint** (In case my husband happens to read this review) read more

The short review: Atelier N. is fantastic and I very highly recommend a visit by anyone looking for a quality piece of custom jewelry. An creates beautiful well made pieces at competitive pricing. The Longer review: I visited a number of jewelry stores in the Durham area during my hunt for an engagement ring. After a long search I visited a number of very good stores and even thought I had found my ring in a bigger store that had a large selection of ring designs. I was still scheduled to visit Atelier N. (the store had come recommended to me) so called to cancel my appointment since I figured there was no way they would be able to compete with the ring found, especially in the time frame I required (which was only 12 days). An convinced me to still come by and just talk with him even though it was supposed to be the store's day off. I spoke with An for a long time about the engagement ring. After looking at the pieces he had already created and hearing his thoughts I decided to reconsider my "chosen" ring. I met with again the following day and spent another two or three hours talking about and designing the ring with him. This was before I had even decided if I was going to use his business which in the end I did. I think its important to note that during these multiple hours over two days An clearly wanted my business but was never pushy about it despite how much of his time I was taking up. The ring we designed was a collaboration. I am very picky and had strong ideas for what I wanted the ring to be like and An quickly and effortlessly understood these ideas. He offered suggestions for modifications to the design based on his years of expertise. In the end, each of his ideas were spot-on. I spoke with An a few times while he was making the ring and each time I called the store his staff treated me very well and always put me through to An even if it was a question they could have probably answered them-selves. The ring he created was beautiful and even better looking than I had imagined. There is no doubt it was of better quality and beauty than the ring I had previously chosen. My now-fiance loves the ring and gets compliments on it on an almost daily basis. I love the fact it is a one of a kind piece that I was able to help design. I am very happy I chose Atelier to create the ring and will plan on returning when I want to get another special piece. There are a few high-quality smaller custom jewelers in the Durham area and based on my experience Atelier N is a cut above the others. read more

These guys reset a stone in my wife's engagement ring on fairly short notice and did a great job for a very reasonable price. In addition, the pieces in the store were absolutely gorgeous. Recommended! read more

I needed to get some links removed from the bracelet of a new watch and so I went here to get it done. The 9th street location near Duke campus is convenient and their service is polite and efficient. Would come here again. read more

An is a very gentle, passionate professional. He is very attentive to the needs of his customers, my fiance and I being recent ones. He has restored an old family ring for my engagement ring which is above and beyond our expectations. I can't say enough about his talent and the thoughtful service he provides. read more

I had a really lovely experience at Atelier N today. Other people's reviews led me to choose this shop - so here is more detail. Turned out the woman working today was an old friend. She was clearly trained well, and was able to help me repair a bracelet I sold that needed a new 14K clasp, measure a ring I was trying to sell online (which sold tonight as soon as I had an accurate ring size), and clean/polish a special 10K ring that I purchased for myself from a little antique shop in Dublin, New Hampshire. I don't normally buy much jewelry, so this is my one nice piece that I bought to commemorate something important in my life. It was so hard to hand it over for cleaning! She also carefully examined my jewelry (I asked for a "checkup" - cleaning, polish, and a check for any repairs for my favorite ring), noticed small details, and also intelligently explained safe ways to clean jewelry when I asked. Am I biased because she's a friend? Sure. But hell, I've been avoiding this place because I expected it to be intimidating, and it isn't at all. And as someone who is into fashion, retail, jewelry, textiles, etc., I felt the prices on repairs and on the actual jewelry pieces were reasonable. Ask to see the gold nesting rings made/designed by An - but don't buy the one I've been admiring :) There is work by a few jewelry designers, so there are some different styles, but they also do a lot of custom work. So cool. It's an awesome, small, independent shop. If you want to see a few examples and then commission a custom piece, or if you need jewelry maintenance and repair, this is the place. When I'm not a broke grad student I know exactly where I'm going for a custom piece. PS: I've been harassed a lot in the middle of the day on that particular block in Durham - it's right by 9th Street near Cosmic Cantina, and most people I know feel comfortable there, but keep an eye out and don't dress conspicuously. read more